A review by jstilts
Nothing Lasts Forever (Basis for the Film Die Hard) by Roderick Thorp

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Published 1979 and certainly reads like it - and you also can't help but compare it to the movie "Die Hard" which was based on this book. The bare bones of the plot is basically identical, but with some major character changes that make this a very different beast. Imagine Die Hard but entirely humourless, with an older lead character that has a much more tragic history and lonlier personal life - all of which are rawly exposed, examined and agonised over as he goes through the mental and physical exhaustion of a dehumanising 36 hour ordeal of terror.

Interesting for fans of the film, but  while this is a page-turner of a thriller and an emotional rollercoaster to boot, it is still of an old-fashioned enough type of prose that I probably wouldn't have spent time on if not for Die Hard.
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